Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The Cactus Hotel

I recently received an email from Sue, a reader in Georgia, who'd found a second copy of The Cactus Hotel and was offering to send it to me, if I wanted it...

With a title like that how could I say no?

The delightful book starts with a Saguaro fruit dropping to the ground, where it is enjoyed by a passing rat.

One of the seeds ends up "dropping from his whiskers" under a nearby tree, where it grows (it is a kid's book after-all, we wouldn't want the author to have to explain the seed came out the other end).

It grows, and grows...

Eventually a woodpecker decides to call the Saguaro home and gets to work.

In time there are more holes, all over the Saguaro..."When one animal moves out, another moves in."

Here's where I confess to having been annoyed when I see a hole in an otherwise perfect cactus, especially when taking a photo. I guess it's time for me to get over that? I've greatly simplified what really is a wonderful book, with fabulous illustrations. If you have little people to read to (or are a kid at heart) find yourself a copy, I think you'll enjoy it. And thank you Sue for thinking of me!

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

15 comments:

  1. Utterly charming. I always get books from the library when our nieces come to visit. The selection can be overwhelming. I hope they have this one.

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    1. If they don't you're welcome to borrow my copy!

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    2. As my Gram would say: your generosity is exceeded only by your good looks.

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  2. Looks like a great book! How thoughtful of Sue to send it to you!

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  3. I have a number of garden-themed children's book that I bought for me because the illustrations were so charming. The Secret Garden illustrated by Inga Moore is spectacular. You can tell she is a gardener.

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    1. I am amassing quite a collection, I love them! Why should kids have all the fun?

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  4. I saw photos of woodpecker holes in bamboo culms -- which destroyed those culms -- so it could be worse. :) Who doesn't love woodpeckers?

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    1. I do not love them when they're pounding on the side of our house...

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  5. So glad you enjoyed the book - enough to share with the whole world! It was a gift to show my appreciation for the efforts you put into this blog. If I could find a token for all the blogs that I read regularly, I would send something to them as well. And then I'd be broke! But I think I speak for a lot of people when I say thank you to all those bloggers that share their gardening expertise, their wisdom, and their humorous musings with those of us that may not comment often, but we sure do enjoy reading! ~SuePip

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    1. Thanks so much Sue, for the book and this comment!

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  6. A perfect book for my Arizona grandchildren.

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  7. What a nice thing for Sue to do. Her comment is also lovely, as well as deserved. I can't think of a better home for a book like this one than with you.

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    1. There are so many lovely people in this world!

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